Chapter 42
Peter Ilyich TchaikovskySwan Lake, Act IV, finale - ANS-The union of music and dance to tell a
story is probably as old as music itself. The spectacle of ballet was especially popular in royal
courts in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and ballets often provided entertainment
between the acts of operas. But it was not until the last quarter of the nineteenth century that
composers began to write full-length ballets with an extended plot. Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is
one of the first such ballets, and it has retained its hold on audiences down to the present. In
2010, the director Darren Aronofsky made it the centerpiece of his film Black Swan.
The plot of Swan Lake revolves around the lovers Siegfried, a young prince, and Odette, a
young princess who has been kidnapped by the evil sorcerer Rothbart. To keep her for himself,
Rothbart has cast a spell on Odette; by day, she is a swan, though by night she returns to her
human form. Siegfried discovers Odette in the forest one night and falls in love with her, but she
forbids him from killing Rothbart before the spell over her is broken. In the end, however, Odette
realizes that the spell will continue as long as she lives, and so in the finale—the excerpt heard
here—she leaps to her death; Siegfried follows her, and Rothbart collapses, powerless.
Tchaikovsky's music provides clear points of reference for the most dramatic moments of the
tale, but choreographers, who design the dance, have always exercised their freedom to
interpret the wordless depiction of this drama in a variety of ways. A comparison of various
productions of this finale reveals a wide of range of possibilities: Some productions end in
tragedy, with the lovers united only in death, while others feature a miraculous reunion of the
two alive. In any case, the extended sequence for harp toward the very end of the finale
(beginning at 4:04) suggests an ul
Exploring Swan Lake - ANS-First, listen to the Act IV finale of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, using
the prompts below as a guide. Then read the discussion of how the elements of music operate
in this selection.
Melody: Listen for the return of the opening melody throughout this excerpt. It is always varied in
some way each time it appears.
Timbre: Listen for the contrasts in orchestration, from the sparse opening (oboe and strings) to
the full orchestra (including many percussion instruments) in the middle, to the extended section
with harp at the end.
Word-Music Relationships: Although there are no words to this ballet, the music accompanies a
drama onstage. Try to listen for moments that suggest agitation, conflict, and resolution.
The "Swan Theme" - ANS-The melody we hear at the very beginning of this excerpt has come
to be known as the "Swan Theme" because it is so consistently associated throughout the entire
ballet with the character of Odette (the swan-princess) and her "court" of accompanying
swan-maidens. The solo oboe orchestration here at the beginning gives the melody a sense of
plaintive longing, while the syncopated (off-beat) accompaniment of the strings creates a strong
sense of agitation. Listen to the contour of the Swan Theme, how it moves up and falls back
, repeatedly but stays in a high register at the end. Some have compared this motion to that of a
bird taking flight.
Orchestrating Events - ANS-Tchaikovsky was an acknowledged master of orchestration—the
manner in which different instruments of the orchestra are employed—and he uses timbre to
great effect throughout Swan Lake, including the very ending, heard here. The effective use of
the oboe at the opening has already been noted. Listen as well to how this theme is then
transferred to the violins as it becomes fragmented (starting at 0:40)—that is, in the on-stage
struggle between Siegfried (the prince) and Rothbart (the sorcerer). The timbre changes yet
again when the "Swan Theme" is presented by the full orchestra at the moment when Odette
leaps to her death (1:52). At the true climax of the finale, the moment of triumph (3:08), we hear
the same melody in the full orchestra with all the percussion instruments fully
engaged—timpani, bass drum, side drum, cymbals, and triangle. It is a stirring moment.
Telling a Story through Music and Movement - ANS-The scenario of a ballet establishes the
basic outline of the story to be told through dance. It also guides the composer in writing the
music. With the music in hand, the choreographer—the "director" of the dance—then draws up
a series of specific movements coordinated with the music. Thus, while there are no word-music
relationships in the conventional sense—there is no text to be sung—there is a close
relationship between the words of the scenario and the music the composer writes for it.
How a choreographer interprets a ballet's scenario can differ considerably: No two productions
are alike. In the case of Swan Lake, the differences can be particularly striking. Records of the
original production at the Bolshoi Theater of Moscow in 1877 have only recently come to light,
and many productions over the years have followed in the tradition of French-Russian
choreographer Marius Petipas (1818-1910), who prepared a substantially revised version of the
ballet in 1895 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. As a result, some productions of the ballet today end
with both lovers united in death, while others end with the death and transfiguration of Odette,
while still others end with both lovers alive and reunited. The uplifting music of the very end of
the finale supports all three interpretations.
Swan Lake, Act IV, finale - ANS-We'll listen now to the finale of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet
Swan Lake. It runs just over five minutes. Through music, dance, and gesture, this finale
presents the drama that brings this ballet to its close.
list item
The three principal characters in this scene are Siegfried, Odette, and Rothbart. Siegfried is a
young prince who has fallen in love with Odette, a princess who has been transformed into a
swan by the evil sorcerer Rothbart. Odette has forbidden Siegfried from killing Rothbart before
the spell over her is broken. In the end, however, Odette realizes that the spell will continue as
long as she lives, and so in the finale—the excerpt heard here—she leaps to her death;
Siegfried follows her, and Rothbart collapses, powerless.
list item
The melody we hear at the very beginning of this excerpt has come to be known as the Swan
Theme because it is so consistently associated throughout the entire ballet with the character of
Odette (the swan-princess) and her "court" of accompanying swan-maidens.
Peter Ilyich TchaikovskySwan Lake, Act IV, finale - ANS-The union of music and dance to tell a
story is probably as old as music itself. The spectacle of ballet was especially popular in royal
courts in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and ballets often provided entertainment
between the acts of operas. But it was not until the last quarter of the nineteenth century that
composers began to write full-length ballets with an extended plot. Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is
one of the first such ballets, and it has retained its hold on audiences down to the present. In
2010, the director Darren Aronofsky made it the centerpiece of his film Black Swan.
The plot of Swan Lake revolves around the lovers Siegfried, a young prince, and Odette, a
young princess who has been kidnapped by the evil sorcerer Rothbart. To keep her for himself,
Rothbart has cast a spell on Odette; by day, she is a swan, though by night she returns to her
human form. Siegfried discovers Odette in the forest one night and falls in love with her, but she
forbids him from killing Rothbart before the spell over her is broken. In the end, however, Odette
realizes that the spell will continue as long as she lives, and so in the finale—the excerpt heard
here—she leaps to her death; Siegfried follows her, and Rothbart collapses, powerless.
Tchaikovsky's music provides clear points of reference for the most dramatic moments of the
tale, but choreographers, who design the dance, have always exercised their freedom to
interpret the wordless depiction of this drama in a variety of ways. A comparison of various
productions of this finale reveals a wide of range of possibilities: Some productions end in
tragedy, with the lovers united only in death, while others feature a miraculous reunion of the
two alive. In any case, the extended sequence for harp toward the very end of the finale
(beginning at 4:04) suggests an ul
Exploring Swan Lake - ANS-First, listen to the Act IV finale of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, using
the prompts below as a guide. Then read the discussion of how the elements of music operate
in this selection.
Melody: Listen for the return of the opening melody throughout this excerpt. It is always varied in
some way each time it appears.
Timbre: Listen for the contrasts in orchestration, from the sparse opening (oboe and strings) to
the full orchestra (including many percussion instruments) in the middle, to the extended section
with harp at the end.
Word-Music Relationships: Although there are no words to this ballet, the music accompanies a
drama onstage. Try to listen for moments that suggest agitation, conflict, and resolution.
The "Swan Theme" - ANS-The melody we hear at the very beginning of this excerpt has come
to be known as the "Swan Theme" because it is so consistently associated throughout the entire
ballet with the character of Odette (the swan-princess) and her "court" of accompanying
swan-maidens. The solo oboe orchestration here at the beginning gives the melody a sense of
plaintive longing, while the syncopated (off-beat) accompaniment of the strings creates a strong
sense of agitation. Listen to the contour of the Swan Theme, how it moves up and falls back
, repeatedly but stays in a high register at the end. Some have compared this motion to that of a
bird taking flight.
Orchestrating Events - ANS-Tchaikovsky was an acknowledged master of orchestration—the
manner in which different instruments of the orchestra are employed—and he uses timbre to
great effect throughout Swan Lake, including the very ending, heard here. The effective use of
the oboe at the opening has already been noted. Listen as well to how this theme is then
transferred to the violins as it becomes fragmented (starting at 0:40)—that is, in the on-stage
struggle between Siegfried (the prince) and Rothbart (the sorcerer). The timbre changes yet
again when the "Swan Theme" is presented by the full orchestra at the moment when Odette
leaps to her death (1:52). At the true climax of the finale, the moment of triumph (3:08), we hear
the same melody in the full orchestra with all the percussion instruments fully
engaged—timpani, bass drum, side drum, cymbals, and triangle. It is a stirring moment.
Telling a Story through Music and Movement - ANS-The scenario of a ballet establishes the
basic outline of the story to be told through dance. It also guides the composer in writing the
music. With the music in hand, the choreographer—the "director" of the dance—then draws up
a series of specific movements coordinated with the music. Thus, while there are no word-music
relationships in the conventional sense—there is no text to be sung—there is a close
relationship between the words of the scenario and the music the composer writes for it.
How a choreographer interprets a ballet's scenario can differ considerably: No two productions
are alike. In the case of Swan Lake, the differences can be particularly striking. Records of the
original production at the Bolshoi Theater of Moscow in 1877 have only recently come to light,
and many productions over the years have followed in the tradition of French-Russian
choreographer Marius Petipas (1818-1910), who prepared a substantially revised version of the
ballet in 1895 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. As a result, some productions of the ballet today end
with both lovers united in death, while others end with the death and transfiguration of Odette,
while still others end with both lovers alive and reunited. The uplifting music of the very end of
the finale supports all three interpretations.
Swan Lake, Act IV, finale - ANS-We'll listen now to the finale of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet
Swan Lake. It runs just over five minutes. Through music, dance, and gesture, this finale
presents the drama that brings this ballet to its close.
list item
The three principal characters in this scene are Siegfried, Odette, and Rothbart. Siegfried is a
young prince who has fallen in love with Odette, a princess who has been transformed into a
swan by the evil sorcerer Rothbart. Odette has forbidden Siegfried from killing Rothbart before
the spell over her is broken. In the end, however, Odette realizes that the spell will continue as
long as she lives, and so in the finale—the excerpt heard here—she leaps to her death;
Siegfried follows her, and Rothbart collapses, powerless.
list item
The melody we hear at the very beginning of this excerpt has come to be known as the Swan
Theme because it is so consistently associated throughout the entire ballet with the character of
Odette (the swan-princess) and her "court" of accompanying swan-maidens.
